After watching parts of the confirmation hearing, I am a little confused. It seems that “the most experienced Supreme Court nominee in 100 years” (Sen. Al Franken opened his tough questioning with this remark), feels misunderstood. There is a simple explanation for her controversial comments. …She meant to say the opposite. Take a look:
Original statement: “Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, a possibility I abhor less or discount less than my colleague Judge Cedarbaum, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging. Justice [Sandra Day] O’Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases…. I am… not so sure that I agree with the statement. First… there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”
What she meant to say: She agrees with Justice O’Conner, personal experience has no effect on rulings. “We don’t apply feelings to facts,” and ” I don’t believe that any ethnic, racial, or gender group has an advantage in sound judging.” Never-mind the fact that she gave this same speech several times. It was merely “a play on words” that “fell flat.”
Original statement: “The right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right.”
What she meant to say: Sen. Leahy asked, “Is it safe to say that you accept the Supreme Court’s decision as establishing the Second Amendment is an individual right? Is that correct?”. Her response, “Yes, sir.”
Original statement: Remember this?
What she meant to say: “It’s important to remember that as a judge, I don’t make law.”
I don’t know about you, but I feel a whole lot better. The problem wasn’t that she kept saying outrageous things, it was that we didn’t know that she only talks in opposite-speak. Now that we know, things will go much smoother. I can’t wait to hear more, and I will continue to keep you posted as this situation develops.
